Australia: Weather Chaos Drives Volatile Cattle and Sheep Trade
Flooding and Firm Demand Shake Australian Livestock Markets
Extreme weather across Queensland and Victoria disrupted saleyard operations and buyer attendance this week, leading to uneven yardings and increased price volatility across cattle and sheep markets.
Restocker demand remained strong, lifting the Yearling Steer Indicator by 37¢ to 497¢/kg liveweight, while processor cow prices broadly held despite increased yardings. Meanwhile, cattle slaughter continued to rise sharply, while sheep and lamb slaughter remained well below year-ago levels.
Cattle market
Flooding forced the cancellation of the Gracemere sale at the Central Queensland Livestock Exchange, with saleyard supply across Queensland remaining tight. In New South Wales, pricing was largely quality driven, with hot and dry conditions bringing more secondary-condition cattle to market.
Singleton recorded its largest yarding since February 2018, reaching 1,816 head, dominated by steer and heifer weaners. Dubbo also saw a notable lift in numbers.
Strong restocker competition from southern Queensland and northern NSW pushed the Restocker Yearling Steer Indicator to 497¢/kg lwt. Roma delivered standout results, with:
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200–280kg yearling steers selling up to 598¢/kg
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280–330kg steers reaching 596¢/kg
The Processor Cow Indicator eased 2¢ to 384¢/kg lwt, reflecting a yarding increase to 6,906 head. Despite this, prices held relatively firm due to good numbers of well-finished cattle, while lighter cows attracted solid demand in NSW.
Sheep market
Victorian lamb markets showed a clear split between well-weighted, good-quality lambs and drier, plainer types. A strong offering of unshorn lambs at Ballarat generated active restocker and feedlot interest.
Despite limited quality mutton in some centres, competition remained intense, lifting the Mutton Indicator by 4¢ to 758¢/kg carcase weight (cwt). Increased yardings allowed buyers to be more selective in heavier categories.
The Heavy Lamb Indicator fell 27¢ to 1,044¢/kg cwt, reflecting inconsistent supply of heavy lambs and variable buyer participation across key saleyards.
Slaughter
Week ending 9 January 2026
Cattle slaughter reached 127,354 head, up 17% year on year, with female slaughter at 49,263 head, representing a female slaughter rate (FSR) of 39%.
Cattle slaughter by state (YoY):
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NSW: 31,241 (-3%)
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Queensland: 59,319 (+29%)
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Victoria: 24,636 (+28%)
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South Australia: 3,049 (-16%)
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Tasmania: 4,995 (+2%)
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Western Australia: 4,114 (+61%)
Sheep slaughter remained low at 129,989 head, down 34% year on year, while lamb slaughter declined 3% to 458,252 head.
Lamb slaughter by state (YoY):
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NSW: 98,033 (-11%)
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Queensland: 1,136 (-9%)
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Victoria: 265,194 (+12%)
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South Australia: 36,068 (-36%)
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Tasmania: 8,900 (-5%)
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Western Australia: 48,921 (-14%)
Source: Meat & Livestock Australia | 16 January 2026
Attribution: Stephanie Pitt, NLRS Manager
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